Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster - DVD - Lifehacker

We get a lot of questions about how to backup your DVD collection to your workstation and make them available for playback. Here is an article from Lifehacker  writer  Adam Pash describing several different software packages to put into your software arsenal to do these functions. A package that I use currently that rips a DVD and converts it automatically on the fly to a .avi file. I then pointed all of media center libraries to this directory and they are now all available to play from my Xbox and Linksys MCE units. Another trick is to add package art to the icon by dropping a .jpg image into the directory with the movie file. Be sure to change the name if the image file to folder.jpg.   Since you can’t have the same file name located in the same directory, I place each movie file in its own folder to contain the files associated with the movie.The program I am using is called Intertech DVD Converter Pro and is not free but isn’t outlandishly priced either.

I also use a program from AudialsOne4 that allows me to capture any screen video to disk and save it in any video format that I choose. This allows me to capture content from video seminars that I need to go back to in the future or that I am not able to watch at the time of the broadcast because of some other commitment. It’s a great little program that also does video conversion from one format to another or almost any kind of digital from one format to another. I use this for a lot of different types of captures and conversions all the time. So hopefully all of these different choices will help you fill out your media library and give your DVD’s a longer safer life. Happy computing!

Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster - DVD - Lifehacker

New service from Comcast: Access your DVR remotely

You can now manage you DVR remotely using myDVR Manger. Once you have logged in and initialized the application, it will take 24 hours to synchronize to all the DVR units in your home.  This program allows you to schedule your DVR to record your favorite TV shows and movies from any where you have Internet access with computer.  If you have forgotten to schedule a program you can now access the DVR that you would like to program remotely from your work or other Internet connected computer.

The features include:

• Schedule your recordings online
• Review your scheduled recordings
• Modify a scheduled recording
• Modify a series recording

You will need your Comcast username (this is your email account) and password to be able to activate an access this account.  You will then be able to access and eventually any DVR that is in your home from a remote desktop.  You can even use this application on your home PC to make it a little easier to program your recording schedules.

I will let you know how well this works after I have used it for couple of weeks.  You're facing simple and straightforward and I feel this is a great addition to Comcast's capabilities.  Good going Comcast!

How do you map a network subdirectory as a mapped drive in Windows 7?

Here is a simple video showing you how to map a network drive in Windows 7

Clicker gets a whole lot of press this week

  et’s see why…

The website Clicker aggregates streaming television from all over the internet into a mega database that allows you to search on a multitude of data variables. Promoted as the new TV Guide, this site allows you to find information on the shows that you are searching for that are available to watch from the internet services. These are legal transmissions so you don’t have to worry about breaking the law and helps you to find where these programs are playing.

Clicker claims just under half a million shows being categorized from over 6,000 shows, 1200 networks, tens of thousands of movies, and over 50,000 music videos from over 20,000 artists. Sounds interesting if you are interested in using this kind of technology for your entertainment. Take a look at: Clicker.

Logitech to acquire LifeSize Communications

LifeSize Communications makes products for PC video communications. In an interesting trend LifeSize announced yesterday that they have agreed to be acquired by Logitech International for $405 million in cash. Logitech plans on LifeSize to continue operating as a separate division under the leadership  Craig Malloy the current CEO of LifeSize Communications.

Microsoft Silverlight to be used on NBC’s Winter Olympics

You will be experiencing Microsoft’s Silverlight to access the 2010 Winter Olympics. Posted on Channel 9 by Larry Larsen yesterday, NBC and Microsoft are getting back together for the 2010 Winter Olympics to give you full “DVR control of video, including rewind, sharing and saving clips.” To see more click through to Channel 9.

Syncing Contacts from Outlook to Gmail

Question for ya. I’d like to import all of my outlook contacts to my Gmail but I can’t seem to find the CSV or vCard files on my C drive. Any hints on where to look???

Answer: The process is pretty simple if you have ever played with the import/export feature of Outlook. Google requires a CSV or vCard file to upload a contact or contact list into Gmail from your Outlook database. Here’s a quick overview of the process. You are limited to one contact at a time.

Creating a CSV file of your contacts will cause you to create a file of all the contacts that in the folder that you are exporting. If you want to limit the contacts that you are planning to import into Gmail then you will want to place a copy of the contacts you want to export into a temporary contact folder before running the export function. Then you will need to import that CSV file back into Gmail. Here is another quick video showing this process.

Windows 7 Search Features

When asked for some compelling reasons for moving to Window 7 one of the newer features that has vastly expanded in Windows 7 over Vista is the search capabilities. In Vista I loved how the search indexed all your documents, files and Outlook items to make it easy to search for information on your system. I am a hoarder when it comes to programs and data so it is important for me to be able to easily find and access data everyday. I use a lot of these features constantly and once you watch the video below you will see why you want to spend a little extra time updating the metadata on your pictures, videos and music files as well.

http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/ch9/4/0/3/5/3/4/Windows7FindSearchOrganize_ch9.mp4

A new feature in WIndows 7 called Federated Search gives you the ability to search external sources as well. This can be within your organization with data found on different servers or different SharePoint searches. But there are scripts that you can install for accessing much more. These are put together using search connectors that you can download.

There are already few search connectors available for download:

• Neowin Connector (Created by -Hiroshi-, more information)
• Flickr Search Connector
• YouTube Search Connector
• Google News Search Connector
• Google Blogs Search Connector
• Twitter Search Connector
• MSN Search
• Deviant Art Search

In Part 2 of Search and Find this video shows and talks about how this works.

http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/ch9/1/8/4/5/3/4/FindOrganizePart2_ch9.mp4

Expanding your horizons on using you USB flash drive

If you have multiple computers that you need to share data between quickly and easily then I am sure you have probably already used a flash drive for this purpose. While I lean more towards on cloud storage to move data between machines especially in different locations, I still find this one use of a flash drive to be extremely valuable. Bill Detwiler, Head Technology Editor at Tech Republic, has put together a little video that talks about some other uses for a USB flash drive that you may not have thought about.

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Windows 7 Taskbar Features

ZDNET is a great source for tech news and How To functions that help me learn how to use different features of applications that I use everyday. Ed Bott has been running a short series of Windows 7 functions that when you take them as a whole will give you some good reasons for wanting to move into and start using this new operating system. I know that I have fallen in love with it and I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to go back to any of the earlier versions of Windows now. Watch the video above to get a feel for what the new taskbar features provide you in this new interface.

On Demand Online coming to Comcast

Comcast sent me a letter today inviting me to test their (Beta) of On Demand Online. I don’t know how exclusive this list is but it will be interesting to compare their online experience with some of the others that are available currently like Hulu and others. They have the technology for streaming and the ability to do on demand with their digital boxes so this shouldn’t be a big stretch. I’ll let you know what I think once I have tried it out for a few weeks

Camtasia for the Mac has been released.

If you read this blog you know that I am not an Apple guy but this is good news for all of our Mac friends that want to create online training content for their organizations. I love Camtasia in the PC environment and I’m sure that you will just as thrilled with this program in the Mac environment as well.

It is being released at a special price of just $99 for a limited time offer.

Here is an the copy from TechSmith’s News Release.

News: Camtasia...with an Apple flavor

Camtasia for Mac is here, and it's already got people talking.
For one thing, they're noticing the many ways it differs from Camtasia Studio. It acts and feels like a native Mac application...because it is one!

Camtasia for Mac delivers the core set of features that emerged from countless conversations, surveys, research projects, and testing with Mac users over the past few years. We can't wait to hear your reactions and suggestions as you put it through its paces.
It's a whole new product with a lot to explore, so let's get right to the links...
A great place to start is with the See It in Action video (which was itself created with Camtasia for Mac).
Don't miss the special tips for Camtasia Studio veterans, which should help you transition smoothly to Camtasia for Mac.
And, of course, if your Mac is handy you can just download the free trial and start playing around with it on your own! Or buy it now at the introductory price of $99—that's 33% off list!

Explore Camtasia for Mac »

Where to host your videos online | Digital Cameras & Camcorders | ZDNet.com

I have looked at all of the selections in the past and I have one more suggestion as well. I like having all my imaging located in one place and I don’t mind too much that it costs me to do so. At $59 per year the pro version of SmugMug gives me the ability to store both static images and videos up to 512MB’s in size. That’s about a typical 10 minute video in standard TV resolution, and  in most cases this is great. If you are looking to put up just short clips this will do the job.

Where to host your videos online | Digital Cameras & Camcorders | ZDNet.com

Launch of the new TechSmith Education Community Blog and Website

If I were still in education I would be using the TechSmith products all of the time. Even so, I use some aspect of Camtasia or Jing everyday whether it is to include static image in my proposals or blog notes or to create a quick clip on how to do something on the computer with in a program. I love the ease of use of their products and the integration between them. Camtasia and Jing especially have become my mainstays for quick presentations of products and teaching our clients how to use their computers and software. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words and when you can include the words as well with your narration then you have everything you need in one package.

With the launch of  these two new sites, as an educator you will have more information that you can take advantage of. Be sure to contact us for special pricing and quantity discounts. If you haven’t tried any of these products yet you can get a free download on their site.

Products:

Camtasia Studio Screen Recording & Presentation

Record your screen simply. Add professional polish. Produce stunning videos at any size. Delight viewers on the Web, CD, or portable devices. Train. Present. Persuade.

Free Camtasia Studio Trial

Snagit Screen Capture & Sharing

Take a “snapshot” of anything on your PC screen. Send it, store it, turn it into a detailed graphic, find it later. Snagit makes it easy.

Free Snagit Trial

Camtasia Relay Lecture Capture and Presentation Recording for Organizations

Camtasia Relay allows you to record and automatically produce and distribute any presentation, meeting, lecture, tutorial or demo, and post it for all to see. Give your audience full access to your content anytime, anywhere.

Free Camtasia Relay Trial

Jing Simple Capture with Instant Sharing

Use Jing to snap a picture or make a quick video of anything on your computer screen...then share it instantly! Learn more.

Screencast.com Content Hosting

Host images, video, and pretty much anything else, while maintaining ownership. Share what you want, how and when you choose. Upload. Manage. Share. Use Screencast.com for free: Sign up now »

Let me know if you  have any questions about these products.

Windows 7 arrives: The time is finally ripe

Nearly three years after the debut of the botched Windows Vista, enough is right with Windows 7 to unseat an aging Windows XP

By Randall C. Kennedy | InfoWorld

If you are wondering what reasons you should think about to decide if you should move up in equipment and into the soon to be released Windows 7 operating system, read this article. Infoworld’s Randall Kennedy wrote a great piece describing the history of Windows 7, its XP and Vista beginnings, and how its new interface and functionality can benefit you in your computing experience.

Some key features that I find extremely useful:

• Search Field – The integrated search field in explorer windows and in the Start Menu is fast and extremely useful. Whether you are looking for a document, email, note or a program, just start typing some key words to search on and see what pops up. I use this feature to pull up programs that I don’t use often so don’t have on my taskbar. Once you get used to using it you will never want to go back.
• Explorer Window Breadcrumbs – we have seen this advancement in many programs. This is another one of those things that once you begin using it you don’t want to lose it, and if it is not part of a program you get angry because it is such a useful function. Each of the arrows above points to a point on the bar that I can click on to go back instantly to that folder level. Simple, fast and easy, just what we want. The points build as I am clicking into each folder so it is laying the crumbs for be to be able to follow back from whence I came from.
• Taskbar and Aero Glass – one of the Aero Glass features that has been better utilized is on the Taskbar. As you are sliding across the icons on your Taskbar you will see a representation of the applications that are currently running in each application program. Take a look at the video below to see how this works.

• Pinning – we have seen the concept of pinning items to your Start Menu before but now you are able to do this same thing with Taskbar. Simply right click on an start menu application icon and you have the choice to pin it to your taskbar. Now you have single click access to your favorite programs.This is not limited to just programs, you  can pin documents and other utilities to the Taskbar as well. In XP I made extreme use of the Quick Launch bar, this feature puts this kind of function on steroids.

One of the things that we have seen is the increase in speed when accessing some of our older applications, even over XP. Now we are attributing this to the way Windows 7 as changed the way it accesses database structure from a server but in reality all we know is that it runs like a speed demon. The tests performed by InfoWorld Labs showed greater memory use and slower speeds when compared to XP and slightly overall performance over the current releases of Vista. But in most cases, you will not be putting this program on your older equipment but moving it onto new equipment as you are refreshing. Microsoft in all their meetings with us has stated that you really want to run this program in 64-bit mode and take advantage of how inexpensive memory has become. So if you are configuring a system, don’t skimp on RAM.

Hardware compatibility – having been built from the Vista kernel, Windows 7 doesn’t have the lack of hardware drivers that gave Vista such a black eye when it first came out. Two years after Vista’s initial release hardware vendors have caught up with drives that support both Vista and Windows 7 quite adequately. In one of my previous articles I mentioned how when installing Windows 7 on my Netbook I didn’t have to go out and search for a single driver to get all of the hardware components functioning. It was great. So this is now pretty much a non-issue.

Third Party Application Compatibility – Microsoft has finally recognized that Windows XP is still the Gold Standard for application compatibility and stability. While we saw many programs failing in the Vista environment, Windows 7’s application support has been much improved. Windows 7 key is VXP or Virtual Windows XP Mode which provides a virtualized WXP image for running applications in their native environment. So if an application doesn’t work right in XP compatibility mode then you can virtualize it. “Still, VXP is compelling in that it provides a fully licensed copy of Windows XP that you can run alongside your Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate license. And it's free.”

Going back to hardware. With the new norm in systems being multi-core (dual and quad for now and more coming down the road) and much larger standard memory configurations, you will want in employ an operating system that uses the these and many more hardware configurations. Windows 7 takes advantage of multi-core systems better than XP with its base architecture. You will be better leveraged for the future applications taking full advantage of these capabilities.

We all loved XP but once you begin to work with Windows 7 I think you will be won over.

NBC Sports among the initial group of media producers to focus on the Silverlight 3 platform

Microsoft is releasing Silverlight 3 Platform including support with Visual Studio Pro Edition and  Expression software programming environments. Microsoft will be offering a Visual Studio Pro and Expression bundle for $999. Included with Expression is a rapid prototyping product called Sketchflow. Expression 3 is due out in 30 days and will include Expression Blend, Expression Web design, Expression Encoder (video encoding) and Expression Designer (illustration design).

NBC Sports used Silverlight in the 2008 Olympics is announcing its intent on using Silverlight for online video delivery across all of its sporting programs.

"As we look forward to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver as well as other major championships in 2010, we will be using Silverlight as the preferred technology to deliver the best in next-generation online high-definition video experiences," said NBC's Perkins Miller, senior vice president for digital media, in a statement released by Microsoft. NBC has used Silverlight and Microsoft Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming for its "Live and Wimbledon" video presentation.

The new Silverlight product will support offline content as well as online, 3D and hardware graphics acceleration. Microsoft says that it has made great inroads with its Silverlight 2 version and states that it is installed on 1 out of 3 PC’s. Adobe has the majority share of this market though. We’ll have to see how well Microsoft does with this next version.

Adobe Media Player

If you haven’t played with Adobe’s Free Media Player you ought to take a look at it. If you are into graphics, video or photography then here is a great source of digital media. If you need help in learning how to use programs like Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, Premier or Premier Essentials. All of it free and quickly accessible. You can download it to play on other media devices and view any of these programs at your convenience.

However, you are not limited to just training videos. If you are interested in TV Shows, they are here as well, so you will have great HULU like functions as well.

Try it out, I think you will like it.

Oooooo Neat! 43 Inch Wide Screen Display

It’s not too often that I get excited by new bit of technology… well that’s not quite true. The NEC CRV43 “Ultra-Widescreen LCD Monitor Professional” has a unique look with its seamless 2880 x 900 Native Resolution.

My only two complaints about this about this monitor: Hey

it’s slated to be priced at $7999 and I would have liked a little more height resolution, at least 1024 would have been nice. But, all the same pretty darn neat. It is described as: “perfect display for simulation, digital imaging, gaming and other applications requiring lightning-fast response time, a much wider field of view, greater dynamic range and wide color gamut.”

Fast response times (4ms), great for displaying streaming video without ghosting or blurring displays. Medium contrast ration 10,000:1, 200 cd/m² brightness, USB 2.0 connectivity, and single link DVI-D and HDMI 1.3 input connectors. Should be available in July.

Instant Netflix

A couple months ago I restarted my Netflix Subscription because of the ability to acquire instant availability of published TV shows and movies on my Xbox game system.  Unlike a lot of people the only use I have for my Xbox machine is the ability to deliver media from Home Network to our family room TV set.  Now with cable on-demand, cable DVR, DVD movies I also have the ability watch my Media Center video, music and TV recordings I'm adding what can be called Netflix on-demand as well.

To show you just how much Netflix is taking over the market share of the video industry there are so many ways of getting streaming video from Netflix you almost have no excuse not to subscribe to even their most basic subscription plan.  For $8.99 you get all you can eat streaming video plus single DVD Rental each month.  If they're a lot of old shows that you haven't watched you would like to RE watch this is a great vehicle that will allow you to accomplish this task.  So now I have Netflix available to me as a movie rental, which satisfies my need to watch newly released movies, and, instant streaming movies and TV shows instantly from my ex box to my TV or on my computer or from within by media center console.  Now all I need are more hours in the day.  Hey Netflix can you fix that also!

The Netflix Media Center interface has quite a few choices build into it.  Not only do you have Instant Queue, you can also you can add to your DVD Queue, take a look at what you have recently watched, view newly arrived movies and select them for either instant view if that's available or to be placed in your DVD queue, and they have categories that you can browse through and make selections as well. The search function works for movie and TV show titles only, this is something I would like to see changed to also allow you to search by actor and director as well.  I'm sure they'll get there.

So if you have Vista Home Premium or Ultimate this is another great addition to your Media Center application. Enjoy!

3PM Uggg! On our way to Baltimore.

Nick and I got an early morning start yesterday to attend a Northern Video Show in Baltimore. We took the Route 30 Route to Breezewood, only encountered one deer that we saw, and followed the TOMTOM pretty accurately right into the Show Site north of Baltimore in 3.5 hour quick romp. The traffic was not bad and we ended up being the first to sign in and were able to have our discussion on the pros and cons of each service plan that we are considering for our service support software. I think that we have a clear winner but that is not what I plan on talking about right now.

I attended the refresher course on IP Networking while Nick attended the Avermedia and Azelea Networks presentations. the IP refresh was a good overview, didn't contain too much that I didn't already know, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded what is what and how things work. Will see if it gets me to a point where I might crack one of my many books on IP Technology to expand on it again. Nick said that the Avermedia presentation was interesting but he didn't get too much more out of it except contact information for their field support people which can always be useful. They gave us some hints on how to get the PTZ Sony IP camera integrated with their software that we are going to try and that would be really a good outcome of this show. Nick was really impressed with Azelea's Mesh Technology product. This is a product that lends itself for wiring campus wide areas to the Internet. The types of organizations that this works well for include municipalities for giving their police and emergency personnel remote access back into the city systems, setting up general campus or municipal access to the Internet, (they have done large areas in China for the Olympics, construction sites for local area communication, wireless broadband, video surveillance and other applications. In smaller setups like hotels this would give property-wide access to Internet access as well as employee communication within the property area as well. Some neat potential there.

We had broke for lunch and some face time with the vendors in their booths. I attended the ACTI presentation while Nick went to the ARM Electronics presentation. Again the biggest benefit was the contacts, we now have access to the main ARM support guy and I got together with the primary support tech with ACTI. The ACTI presentation discussed megapixel IP Camera technology and the different technologies used for encoding the video and the benefits and problems with the use of each one. Very good discussion of where the digital video technology is right now and where it is going in the near future. It gave me some insights into what to look for, how to size systems correctly and what we need to control when it comes to client expectations.

Nick's Arm presentation led him into some discussion about the problems we have had with night vision video capturing and we now have some solution paths to follow. Another product that I found at the Vendor Booths was from a company called Videolarm who claim to be the first manufacturer of video housings in the market. They have a fully adjustable Infrared Illuminator that might help us out in some of these low light areas. Distance adjustable from 100-660 feet, five year warranty and an adjustable beam angle of 30, 40 and 60 degrees. There other products are also highly ruggedized as well.

D-Link was also highly promoted by Northern especially in the IP video slide presentation. I have brought back some of their information as well. For the most part there wasn't too much being shown by the vendors when it came to lenses and such except by ARM. I think Nick got a good bit of insight with that. All in all this was a good conference to attend that gave us support for what we already know, reinforced that we are on the right track and gave us the contact that will help us on into the future.